And I sit here on our patio for the last 1/2 hour before leaving, feeling grateful for this opportunity, and equally thankful for the life we return to. There is not even a hint of wistfulness about leaving.

All of this leaves me feeling immensely blessed and grateful.

We ease back in tomorrow. Laundry. I'll go to the gym and train. Then back to work on Thursday; full steam ahead.

My meet is around 14 weeks out. I have a whole cycle to work through, and hypertrophy starts tomorrow. I am eager for the work, for the inevitable progress, for the opportunity to practice. For the endorphins. :)

And work is really humming. I love the product and it's shaping up to be a fun and challenging 2017.

After firing of a killer back spasm 2 weeks ago, I am back at it. Well, not ALL of it. I did air squats on Saturday. Very light weight on Sunday. A bit heavier, but still light on Monday. And today went back to a regular(ish) load.

Still it's 10# lower than where we left off, so I have lost (arguably) the 2 weeks, plus another week to get back to that weight. First blush that didn't make me happy, but it's a quick head-space adjustment to realize that 3 weeks is really not that much. I had some fear, but really focused on the balance between listening to my body, but also remembering that it sometimes is lazy and lies. So a reasonable weight, and long rests, no rushing. Feels like JUST the thing to get over the nagging apprehension.

I am still going to skip deads on friday (or do block pulls instead). The 3 weeks progress lost is OK, but the crappy week in a back spasm... not really something I want to repeat. And I have a business trip starting Sunday, so that means no real deadlifts for at least another week. Then I should be golden!

I have been feeling off since the 12th. Not totally horrible, just not well. Quite a few headaches. More tired. I feel great until around mid-day, and then like deaths warmer cousin. It's likely 'just' fatigue.

But I can't seem to shake it, and a week of going to bed at 8 PM hasn't fixed it, so I am taking a 1/2 day sick day and going to bed. I am hoping that 3-4 hours of sleep this afternoon and another early night, will fill the energy-bank enough to kick-to-the-curb whatever it is that's getting me under the weather.

Tomorrow is the first day back at work in 2017... all of the festivities and extra free time over. Back to routine.

I almost hesitate to use that word. Routine sounds so ...routine. Hum-drum. In a rut. Same-old. It just sounds so unintentional.

And I don't think of it that way at all. As I prep lunch, planned for work and the gym, it's all very intentional. I'm not just going along with the flow, but taking charge of what I do with deliberate action towards concrete goals.

So yeah, back to routine. But don't get the impression I am just floating about with no special reason. See what Google tells me above/left? Let's call this one a noun.

6:30 AM seems to come SO early. I am sure I don't have full energy on the Monday and Wednesday training sessions at this time. And then I feel extreme pressure to get to work and get cracking (as it's tight to even make to the office by 8:30 those days... so rather late...).

And yet, I end up with such a GREAT DAY after. I think it's a mix of physical (endorphines, etc) and mental (something I love, something for ME)... and totally amazing to have a day full of momentum.

I sound like a fanatic.

When do you like to work out? *

Early morningMorningAfternoonEveningLate NightDon't care as long as I do!I dont' really like to....

Was at a conference this week. It was a beautiful venue and really also put me into the Christmas spirit.

There was a bit of over indulgence, ... I will spare you the details, but I have had my fill of sushi for a while. A long while. Like... forever. And also, not enough sleep. So too much of one thing, and not enough of another. Just for the record, it does NOT balance out (plus/minus).

But I still felt pretty good in the gym today. We didn't do anything overly difficult, but it was not super light either (a single 150# squat followed by some doubles @ 140# , as well as some paused benching at 95# and 100#).

I have a vacation day tomorrow, so can take a little extra rest in the AM (sleep in til 7 AM!), and don't train until 11 AM. It's Deadlifts, so will be a bit tiring, and I am out with the Mavens tomorrow night, but at least I won't start at a deficit. And there's always the weekend for a little nap. :)

At 6:30 AM flight doesn't sound so bad. It was only half an hour earlier than the one I was looking for. And now as I set my alarm..: I have the realization that I have to get up at 3:30 AM.

I consider myself a thoughtful person in a literal sense of the word. And yet here I am. I was thinking about the "end"... and nothing seemed unreasonable. I travel all the time it's not like I don't know.

It's one of my pet peeve's, yet I succumbed to it myself. I made a promise every intent to deliver. But I hadn't actually calculated the cost to live up to that promise. Now, of course I'm actually going to this promise. I keep my word. And really, it's inconvenient but not impossible. That's not the real concern here. The concern is making commitments in good faith, without considering what it will take. Doesn't really seem like good faith at all when you think about it that way. In this context , "Thoughtful" means thinking. It doesn't mean generous, it doesn't mean kind. When I see it in others it really irks me. So now I am irritated with myself.

OK, not exactly part of my fitness journey, but I really liked Seth Godin this morning. And the truth is, I have way less "iffing" now that I have training. Too busy doing things and improving to worry about what ifs. Well, not entirely, but certainly LESS.

I am visiting Montreal this week... and went into our local office after a client visit, and Immediately ran into someone I trained on Project Management - in a 3 day session in Oct 2014.

She was like “Woah! Look at you, blah, blah….”. And reminded me that when I trained them, I had talked about adult learning, and how I had just joined a gym and was having to hold someones hand in order to squat, or I’d fall over. I guess I used it as an analogy to some other topic in the sessions.

Anyway, I was 35# heavier then. And probably walking with a bit more swagger now. :) ......And she said … “I guess you figured it out . "

Was in Vancouver this week; did go to the gym once in the 3 days, but the numbers were sad, sad, sad.Going today, and again tomorrow early AM. I guess we'll see if I have anything in the tank at all. :)